Thierry Henry has revealed how Lionel Messi manages to distract opponents as the Argentine star continues to perform at the highest level for Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi has scored 12 goals and made 13 assists in 17 appearance this season, and has been putting in some astonishing performances for PSG after a disappointing first campaign at the club.
He is currently the most efficient player in his position in Europe and is in the best form since he made the transfer move to PSG from Barcelona last summer.
The 35-year-old struck over 650 times for the Catalan giants during his 21-year stay at Camp Nou, becoming one of the best players of all time alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi won 27 major trophies, including three Champions Leagues and a number of other individual honours, winning the Ballon d’Or on seven times.
Henry played with Messi for a short while at Barcelona and the French star was in awe of his team-mate during their time together.
The former Arsenal player has revealed the secret to Messi’s success and how he manages to distract defenders regularly.
“Most defenders get confused because Messi always seems less interested at the start of games and then he changes the pace,” Henry told El Futbolero US.
“I’ve played with him a couple of years, and this season, Messi is in frightening form.”
Messi is well-known for his dribbling and passing ability, although his low centre of gravity and strength sometimes goes under the radar. This is a skill that often allows him to grow into matches which sees him find his feet in the second half.
With Messi heading into the twilight of his career, there has been lots of talks over his future in recent days. The Argentine star has been linked with a move to Inter Miami with co-owner David Beckham keen to sigm the forward.
- Cristiano Ronaldo won’t forgive Neville, their relationship is over – Ferdinand claims
- Rashford demands change to Erik ten Hag tactics to trigger Man Utd streak
- Darren Bent names Premier League’s best two centre-backs so far this campaign
He has only eight months left on his current deal at PSG and could be free to leave the club next summer. Barca are hoping to re-sign Messi – just over a year after he left – while a number of top European teams could be in the race to sign the player.
It is believed that Messi plans to hold further discussions with Beckham’s Miami after reportedly ‘ignoring phone calls’ from Barcelona.
